School Trains

The Pacific Southwest Railway Museum invites you and your students to travel back in time aboard 1930s vintage passenger cars to explore the rich railroad history and beautiful scenery of San Diego county. Located 60 miles east of downtown San Diego, our Campo campus provides students with the opportunity to learn about John D. Spreckels and his vision to put San Diego on the world stage. The School Train runs on the third Tuesday of select months throughout the year. Reservations are required in advance for this unique learning experience.

Your day at the Museum starts with a train ride. We recommend that you and your students arrive no later than 10:30AM for the train’s 11:00AM departure from the Campo Depot. Upon departure, one of our knowledgeable tour guides will give an interactive presentation about the San Diego and Arizona Railway – the brain child of John D. Spreckels. Also included in the talk are highlights from San Diego’s history as well as the history of the city of Campo. The train ride is approximately one hour in length and travels from the Campo Depot to the tunnel at Division and return.

After returning to the Museum, students, staff, and chaperons may use their train ticket to gain entrance into the Museum’s display area. Over 90 pieces of equipment are on display for your students to see, feel, and experience. Please allow at least 30 minutes for your students to view the museum grounds.

After touring the museum grounds, lunch will be on your own. Picnic tables are located outside of the Campo Depot. We recommend that students bring their own lunch as there are a very limited number of nearby food establishments.

Tickets

School Train tickets are $5.00 each for students, teachers, staff, and chaperons directly associated with the school group. Students must be in grades K through 12 and attend the same school as the affiliated group or class riding the School Train. The Museum requires that at least one chaperon is present for every 10 students riding the School Train.

Other members of the community may ride the School Train at the normal weekend fare for our Golden State trains. Click Here for more details about the Golden State train ride.

Note: The Museum needs a minimum of 30 riders reserved on the School Train at least 30 days before the train is scheduled to run for the train to operate. We will notify you two weeks before your scheduled trip if there are not enough riders for the train to run so that we may reschedule your visit. Multiple schools, classes, or groups may combine to make the 30 passenger minimum.

Reservations

Have we piqued your interest in joining us for a School Train? Reservations may be made by contacting our Reservations Manager by email at reservations@psrm.org. In order to reserve tickets aboard the School Train, we must have the following information: